Amazon is replacing its budget-focused Fire range with premium Alexa tablets featuring Google Play access, higher-end hardware and deeper integration with its AI assistant.
Amazon has abandoned the Fire tablet label and moved its hardware line decisively upmarket, unveiling a new family of Alexa Tablets built to compete more directly with Apple and Samsung. According to Fortune, the launch marks a clear change in strategy for the company, which has spent years selling cheaper devices largely optimised for Amazon’s own services. The new tablets are presented as a premium alternative, with aluminium bodies, Android software and full access to the Google Play Store, giving users a broader app ecosystem than the old Fire range offered.
The flagship model, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, is positioned as the headline device in the line-up. Fortune said the 128-gigabyte version starts at $499.99, while a higher-priced variant adds a Nanomatte display designed to reduce glare. MacRumors reported that the 12 Pro includes a 12-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 processor. Amazon is also offering a keyboard and stylus, which makes the device more capable as a light productivity machine and brings it closer to the form factor Apple has popularised with the iPad.
Amazon is also selling a smaller Alexa Tablet 11 and an entry-level Alexa Tablet 8, alongside two children’s models. Pricing has been presented somewhat differently across Amazon’s own materials and third-party reports: the company’s announcement, as reflected by About Amazon, described the line-up as starting at $229, while Fortune reported the 11-inch model at $329.99 and the 8.7-inch tablet as the lowest-cost consumer option. Even at the higher end of those figures, the new range remains below Apple’s premium tablets and far under Samsung’s top Galaxy Tab models, which the company appears to be targeting more closely on specifications and design than on absolute price.
The broader significance of the launch lies in Amazon’s attempt to make tablets a more serious extension of its Alexa+ service. Fortune said the devices are designed so that Alexa can read on-screen content and support hands-free “live sessions”, while Amazon wants the tablets to act as a showcase for its AI assistant. Alexa+ was rolled out in general release earlier this year, is included for Prime members and costs $19.99 a month on its own, but it has faced tougher competition from OpenAI and Anthropic than Amazon had anticipated. The company is therefore using hardware as a way to strengthen the assistant’s role inside its wider consumer ecosystem.
The timing also reflects a difficult tablet market. IDC, cited by Fortune, said global tablet shipments fell 12.3% year on year in the second quarter, to 33.6 million units, while US shipments dropped 31.6% as memory costs pushed up prices. In that environment, Amazon is betting that a more polished design, broader Android app support and closer integration with Alexa+ will be enough to move it beyond the low-cost category it once dominated. The new tablets go on sale first in North America before rolling out to Europe later in October.
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